"Daisy Pulls It Off" by Denise Deegan.

Burton Joyce Players.

Burton Joyce Village Hall.

If you’ve ever read any of Enid Blyton’s “Mallory Towers” books or even “Harry Potter” to a certain extent, you will know that private boarding schools are a rich picking ground for some wonderful characters, and Denise Deegan has created a spiffing set of characters in her novel which transcends so well to the stage.

It is 1927 and Daisy Meredith is an outsider to the elite girls normally admitted to Grangewood School for Girls because she is the first ever scholarship pupil, and this means that to some of the girls already there, she is a target for bullying. Fortunately she befriends Trixie and between the pair they embark on an adventure to recover the Beaumont family’s lost treasure and also other discoveries along the way. It’s all absolutely spiffing, topping and jolly hockey sticks –  there’s also a hockey match on stage as well! How do they do it? Do they find the missing treasure? Who is the mystery groundsman? Only one way to find out the answers to these questions!

This is a large cast with talent to match the size of the cast who stick faithfully to Deegan's script. Each character introduce themselves, describing who they are and their special qualities, breaking the fourth wall to do so.

Charlotte Morris plays Daisy and what a fantastic character actor this young woman is. Charlotte's wonderfully clipped accent is perfect for the role and she brings loads of excitable fun to the stage as the show's forgiving heroine. Daisy has four brothers back at home and it never failed to raise a laugh when she mentioned them, Douglas, Daniel, David and Duncan.

Trixie Martin, who becomes Daisy's best chum and ally,  is played by Jessie Murdock and another big bundle of topping fun. 

Sybil Burlington and Monica Smithers are the ring leaders of the bullies and are played by Lily Musson and Sarika Hare respectively, showing what a dastardly pair of rotters they are from the get go. They do, of course, have to take back everything that they have said and done after a daring rescue and Sybil's conscience gets the better of her.

Isabelle Williams plays Head Girl Clare Beaumont, one of those good friends you need in school, especially when you're a new starter. Clare, is the one who's family used to own the school building and grounds but had to give it up after her grandfather died, hiding the family treasure and leaving a mysterious will.

Stephanie Beecham lookalike, Frances Calees plays Miss Gibson, the school's headteacher, a good egg who seems to take an early liking to the new girl in school, but as things develop her opinion changes, thanks to a couple of sneaky plots against Daisy.

Mr Scoblowski, the Russian music and Geography teacher, is played by Roger Newman, and I loved the accent. No one seems to believe anymore that there's riches hidden somewhere in the grounds of the school, and if that's so, why does Mr Scoblowski appear to be creeping around the school in the dead of night with a torch?

Mother is played by Claire Buckley, and also doubles up as Miss Waller, as we only see Mother at the start as she is waving Daisy off on the train.

Vic Howarth (Alice Fitzpatrick), Robyn Steven (Belinda Mathieson), Hariette Fletcher (Dora Johnson), Jennifer Reckless (Miss Granville), Deidre Gibbs (Mademoiselle), Greg Nicholas ( Mr Thompson) and Amelie Wyvill (Winnie Irving)  complete this top-class cast.

Directed by Patrick McDonough, along with Associate Director Deborah Craddock and Assistant Director Hannah Smith, this production is so slick and pacy with no stage gaps; as one scene ends and the cast exit one way, the next scene rolls in with another collection of the cast. The facial expressions from all of these actors are priceless making the comedy both visual and physical, and combined with such a magical script, there's absolutely no way that this production could fail.

Set Designer is Lynn Carr, and Burton Joyce Players have pulled out all the stops and pulled off a brilliant set design. Featured within this design, which stretches the whole length of the stage includes a library, school room, a sanitorium as well as the main hall of the school where the "gaarls" gather to sing as in assembly, with a slightly raised section for the teachers to position themselves, placing them higher than their pupils. Plus there's a hidden section that reveals itself, almost by magic, near the end of the play. The construction of this lovely set is thanks to Bob Mercer, Chris Mercer, David Matthews and Trevor Mosley.

Stage managed by Molly Fitches, creating a series of smooth transitions throughout.

Costumes, which are wonderfully authentic throughout the whole cast, are thanks to Kathy Matthews and Jill Toogood.

Sound Operation is by Charlie Caudwell and Lighting Operator is Steve Pickerell with the Sound and Lighting Technician being Steve Armstrong, all three creating a wonderful strong team. Both areas spot on with every cue required.

Denise Deegan's script provides the perfect vehicle for a predominantly female cast, and is just tremendously great fun - I may even say "topping". It's brilliant fun thanks to a great cast who threw everything they had into this production, and not even a loud bang from backstage put one pair off, apart from a cheeky smile from one half of the duo on stage at the time. Professional etiquette to the last.

Burton Joyce Players raise their bar every time that I see them, but I think they've gone up a couple of notches with this marvellous production.

"Daisy Pulls It Off" is at Burton Joyce Village Hall until Saturday 2 May.